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# Sens. Welch, Bennet Bill Would Create ‘Digital FCC’
- URL: https://broadbandbreakfast.com/sens-welch-bennet-bill-would-create-digital-fcc/
- Published: 2026-09-24T20:57:19.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-25T21:47:04.000Z
- Description: The Senate Democrats are reviving a proposal for a new federal regulator
- Author: Kate Keith
- Tags: FCC, #with-siderail, Michael Bennet, Peter Welch, Tom Wheeler, Fiona Scott Morton, Mark MacCarthy, Colorado, Vermont

WASHINGTON Sept. 24, 2026 – The country needs a new federal agency to oversee the largely unregulated digital economy, according to legislation reintroduced in the Senate by Sens. **Peter Welch**, D-Vt., and **Michael Bennet**, D-Colo.

The Digital Platform Commission Act would establish a Federal Digital Platform Commission with authority to develop and enforce rules governing digital platforms. The proposed agency would focus on consumer protection, competition and the public interest.

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The legislation comes as lawmakers and regulators face growing questions about how existing federal agencies should oversee large technology companies and emerging AI systems.

“Technology is moving quicker than Congress could ever hope to keep up with,” Bennet said in [announcing the bill May 18, 2023](https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-bennet-reintroduce-landmark-legislation-to-establish-federal-commission-to-oversee-digital-platforms/?ref=broadbandbreakfast.com). He said the proposed commission would provide expert oversight to ensure that AI tools and digital platforms operate in the public interest.

Welch said large technology companies have gained significant influence over society while largely avoiding comprehensive regulatory scrutiny.

The senators said the Department of Justice and [Federal Trade Commission currently have primary responsibility for digital-platform oversight](https://broadbandbreakfast.com/america-facing-consequences-from-years-of-inaction-on-antitrust-says-former-fcc-chairman/). But they argued that the agencies lack the specialized resources and authority needed for comprehensive, proactive regulation of the sector.

Under the proposal, the new commission would have authority to establish sector-specific rules addressing the unique risks posed by dominant digital platforms. Supporters said those powers could include requirements for data portability and interoperability and oversight of algorithms.

The bill also draws a comparison to the creation of the Federal Communications Commission in 1934, when Congress established a sector-specific regulator to address the growing importance of telecommunications.

Former FCC Chairman **Tom Wheeler** [endorsed the legislation](https://broadbandbreakfast.com/without-section-230-digital-platforms-would-not-be-able-to-exist-panelists-said/), describing the proposed agency as a way to provide oversight while maintaining flexibility for technological innovation.

“We can no longer be observers as digital technology companies ranging from [social media to artificial intelligence make their own rules](https://broadbandbreakfast.com/without-section-230-digital-platforms-would-not-be-able-to-exist-panelists-said/) without any oversight to protect the public interest,” Wheeler said.

The proposal has also received support from Public Knowledge, the Center for Humane Technology and academics including **Fiona Scott Morton** of Yale University and **Mark MacCarthy** of Georgetown University.

The legislation would create a new federal regulatory structure rather than give the FCC jurisdiction over digital platforms. The proposed commission would instead operate as a separate expert agency focused specifically on the digital sector.